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Leave It to the March Sisters
This modern take on Little Women features “Bronte brooding and rom-com banter”—a classic romance with a contemporary twist (Jenny Holiday, USA Today bestselling author).
When it comes to disastrous relationships, English professor Amy Marsden has pretty much seen everything . From Banana Brad (who had a thing for fruit costumes) to her latest disappointment, Derek (undiscovered artist with a penchant for tighty-whities and their perky pizza delivery driver), it’s been an endless adventure of oddballs, jerks, and some terrible lapses in judgment. Which is exactly how Amy has ended up living in a house with the guy she’s been half in love with since she was a kid....
Theo Sinclair has been her sister Jo’s best friend—and a commitment phobe—for as long as Amy can remember. And aside from one hot and heavy make-out session, she’s managed to ignore her feelings for Theo and successfully avoid adding another entry in her What-was-I-thinking list. Yet now that they’re living under the same roof, Amy and Theo are sharing everything from Cheetos and smoothies to their family drama, past trauma, and an attraction that Amy begins to think might not be one-sided. Could Theo really have feelings for her—or is Amy just setting herself up for another disaster?
When it comes to disastrous relationships, English professor Amy Marsden has pretty much seen everything . From Banana Brad (who had a thing for fruit costumes) to her latest disappointment, Derek (undiscovered artist with a penchant for tighty-whities and their perky pizza delivery driver), it’s been an endless adventure of oddballs, jerks, and some terrible lapses in judgment. Which is exactly how Amy has ended up living in a house with the guy she’s been half in love with since she was a kid....
Theo Sinclair has been her sister Jo’s best friend—and a commitment phobe—for as long as Amy can remember. And aside from one hot and heavy make-out session, she’s managed to ignore her feelings for Theo and successfully avoid adding another entry in her What-was-I-thinking list. Yet now that they’re living under the same roof, Amy and Theo are sharing everything from Cheetos and smoothies to their family drama, past trauma, and an attraction that Amy begins to think might not be one-sided. Could Theo really have feelings for her—or is Amy just setting herself up for another disaster?
400 pages, Paperback
Published May 30, 2023
22 people are currently reading
4396 people want to read
About the author
Annie Sereno
3 books56 followers When she's not expressing her imagination with pen and paintbrush, Annie gardens, swims, and haunts art museums. In possession of a well-worn passport and memories of all the places she's called home, she shares her life with her husband and two sons.
Fascinated by birds, Celtic music, and all things Australian, she believes there is no such thing as a former librarian, no time to read, or too many shoes.
Fascinated by birds, Celtic music, and all things Australian, she believes there is no such thing as a former librarian, no time to read, or too many shoes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
March 9, 2023
as someone whose favorite book is little women and amy/laurie being my favorite literary couple, there was a lot here that should speak to me. unfortunately, this one was not for me.
the pacing of this was really off. it felt like it took forever to get to the actual story, and even then it didn't really go anywhere, and then all of the sudden the big "bomb" (which i knew from the start) was dropped 90% into the book and was then resolved far too quickly.
a lot of this book felt...well, lifeless to me. i didn't really care about amy or theo and i didn't think they had any chemistry. their first on page kiss made me feel absolutely nothing, their sex scene (if you can really call it tha) was....bad. i just felt no chemistry between the two, so it made everything pretty boring.
additionally, they read way younger than they were supposed to be. i often forgot that they're supposed to be in their mid 30's (amy is 34) because they came off so much younger. their characterization would've made more sense if they were in their mid or possibly late 20's.
if i read this as a fan fiction, i'd probably say something like "that wasn't so bad. it was mildly entertaining!" but as a published book i can't get behind it
the pacing of this was really off. it felt like it took forever to get to the actual story, and even then it didn't really go anywhere, and then all of the sudden the big "bomb" (which i knew from the start) was dropped 90% into the book and was then resolved far too quickly.
a lot of this book felt...well, lifeless to me. i didn't really care about amy or theo and i didn't think they had any chemistry. their first on page kiss made me feel absolutely nothing, their sex scene (if you can really call it tha) was....bad. i just felt no chemistry between the two, so it made everything pretty boring.
additionally, they read way younger than they were supposed to be. i often forgot that they're supposed to be in their mid 30's (amy is 34) because they came off so much younger. their characterization would've made more sense if they were in their mid or possibly late 20's.
if i read this as a fan fiction, i'd probably say something like "that wasn't so bad. it was mildly entertaining!" but as a published book i can't get behind it
May 30, 2023
Overall, this was cute! I love that it was an ode to Little Women but Amy was in the spotlight. It was a little too slow moving for me. I appreciate a good slow burn, but this wasn’t it. Having the MCs date other people is always hit or miss for me and I wasn’t feeling it in this particular book. It just felt like things were rushed once the romance hit. And the secrets? I felt like they demolished the trust between Amy and Theo and were too easily forgiven. The secondary characters were fun and there’s a lot of good banter, but I think the story as a whole just could have been executed better.
April 25, 2023
This pains to me to give this a low rating but I have to be honest in my review. It was almost one star but typically for me one stars are illegible so 2 will have to do. Somewhat spoilery content ahead.
This was extremely hard to read and not very compelling. It wasn’t due to the prose, it was difficult to follow the meandering plot. I put it down for weeks trying to get the motivation to continue. I would have DNFed at 35% but as it’s an ARC pushed through and it was not worth it.
The Plot
First up Amy and Jo: Her and her sister are toxic which is fine to explore per the original inspiration of little women but Amy is such a pushover about it and it’s barely resolved by the end, they still keep secrets and communicate poorly. Some of Jo’s baggage seemed way more compelling, many times her story overshadowed Amy’s and I didn’t understand why she wasn’t the main character. I love the original story of Little Women and this had little to no redemption for Amy, PER USUAL.
Amy and Theo: The whole conflict of their history is info dumped at 10% in instead of slowly revealing it to the reader. This does NOT feel like romance. Theo is still having intimate moments on page with other women (not spice to be clear but Jo running her hand down his nose??) and at 60% was going on dates with other women. NOTHING changes in their relationship until 83%, so many repeated scenes of the SAME.
Theo: I had two major issues with theo’s characterization. He makes a comment about how people need to travel in order to grow and looks down on Amy for not having left the country as if that isn’t extremely privileged and Amy doesn’t even challenge it. Even more unforgivable, theo’s license is threatened because one of his clients might get divorced. This is extremely unrealistic and unethical and makes zero sense. This author loves writing about the realities of working in academia (applicable to Jo and Amy) but lacks in representation for ethical psychotherapy.
The formatting and storytelling:
This would have benefited from first person POV. I really had to think who was who when Jo and Amy were talking earlier on and which one was supposed to be the main character.
Sometimes it seems grounded in reality, sometimes it’s a bit too whimsical, never doing either completely or with a clear voice. Her mother has this random trail of dead husbands but neither of them have trauma from that? It would be able to exist on the whimsical side but then there would be hyper realistic scenes with tons of side character friends and academic talk with references. Everything with the friends was long and a bit boring. This never knew what it wanted to be.
The formatting needs a further indentation. Sometimes the dialogue bounces back and forth without being attributed to a person and the back and forth does not line up (same person speaks twice but on a new line making it seem like a new person) causing confusion. So we’re in Amy’s head and get all the info dumping and her whole life story but when we have theo’s POV he’s an unreliable narrator (still in 3rd). But then some of his secret is randomly revealed at a very low impact moment so what was the point of hiding it from the reader.
This was just all over the place and hard to finish. Extremely let down by what seemed like a simple and exciting presence of a second chance, roommates to lovers with an inspiration/callback to Little Women but this is NOT THAT. I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC via NetGalley from Forever Pub.
This was extremely hard to read and not very compelling. It wasn’t due to the prose, it was difficult to follow the meandering plot. I put it down for weeks trying to get the motivation to continue. I would have DNFed at 35% but as it’s an ARC pushed through and it was not worth it.
The Plot
First up Amy and Jo: Her and her sister are toxic which is fine to explore per the original inspiration of little women but Amy is such a pushover about it and it’s barely resolved by the end, they still keep secrets and communicate poorly. Some of Jo’s baggage seemed way more compelling, many times her story overshadowed Amy’s and I didn’t understand why she wasn’t the main character. I love the original story of Little Women and this had little to no redemption for Amy, PER USUAL.
Amy and Theo: The whole conflict of their history is info dumped at 10% in instead of slowly revealing it to the reader. This does NOT feel like romance. Theo is still having intimate moments on page with other women (not spice to be clear but Jo running her hand down his nose??) and at 60% was going on dates with other women. NOTHING changes in their relationship until 83%, so many repeated scenes of the SAME.
Theo: I had two major issues with theo’s characterization. He makes a comment about how people need to travel in order to grow and looks down on Amy for not having left the country as if that isn’t extremely privileged and Amy doesn’t even challenge it. Even more unforgivable, theo’s license is threatened because one of his clients might get divorced. This is extremely unrealistic and unethical and makes zero sense. This author loves writing about the realities of working in academia (applicable to Jo and Amy) but lacks in representation for ethical psychotherapy.
The formatting and storytelling:
This would have benefited from first person POV. I really had to think who was who when Jo and Amy were talking earlier on and which one was supposed to be the main character.
Sometimes it seems grounded in reality, sometimes it’s a bit too whimsical, never doing either completely or with a clear voice. Her mother has this random trail of dead husbands but neither of them have trauma from that? It would be able to exist on the whimsical side but then there would be hyper realistic scenes with tons of side character friends and academic talk with references. Everything with the friends was long and a bit boring. This never knew what it wanted to be.
The formatting needs a further indentation. Sometimes the dialogue bounces back and forth without being attributed to a person and the back and forth does not line up (same person speaks twice but on a new line making it seem like a new person) causing confusion. So we’re in Amy’s head and get all the info dumping and her whole life story but when we have theo’s POV he’s an unreliable narrator (still in 3rd). But then some of his secret is randomly revealed at a very low impact moment so what was the point of hiding it from the reader.
This was just all over the place and hard to finish. Extremely let down by what seemed like a simple and exciting presence of a second chance, roommates to lovers with an inspiration/callback to Little Women but this is NOT THAT. I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC via NetGalley from Forever Pub.
May 29, 2023
As with all of the other reviewers I wanted to read this because of my love of Little Women so I requested it from NetGalley. I was very excited when I realized this book is about a modern day Amy and Laurie getting together. I am here for it. However the pacing was way off. Either they get together at the beginning, have a falling out, and then get back together at the end, or you spend the whole book with them finally getting together at the end, but in this one they get together at 83% which was weird. So I was with it for the first third of the book getting to know Theo and Amy, but then it just slows down with not much going on. It just seems like Amy and Theo complaining about their jobs. And then when they finally get together there is too much book left. Secrets should have come out earlier. The ending was very rushed. I did enjoy Jo being in the book. The Marmee character was very strange. I'm not sure what the author was doing with her. She is a black widow with multiple husbands dying and everyone just seems to laugh about it. That was kind of cringey. Overall it was fine.
-Rose muttered curses involving provolone, and Theo braced himself. Once they entered the volatile world of cheese, there was no telling what might happen.
-"Hey, you look pale. Are you okay?"
"Morning sickness. I do believe I may be giving birth to a career."
-Rose muttered curses involving provolone, and Theo braced himself. Once they entered the volatile world of cheese, there was no telling what might happen.
-"Hey, you look pale. Are you okay?"
"Morning sickness. I do believe I may be giving birth to a career."
March 9, 2023
I have long loved Little Women, from book to all the movie adaptations. And Amy March has always been my favorite. It’s ironic because of all the sisters I’m most like Beth, with bits of Jo and Meg. But Amy? Not sure if I’m anything like her. But oh have I loved her! I always admired how pragmatic she was, yet how she still dreamed, how self-aware she was of her society and how proactive she was in ensuring her place in it. Yet...also how she too wanted to fall in love and be loved in return. I think Amy is massively underrated so when I read that this book would center on an inspired by Little Women Amy, I had to immediately try for an arc.
I am so glad I received one!
I enjoyed this— it isn’t without faults, which I’ll get to further down— but I loved feeling this take on an Amy that felt familiar but was her own original character. This isn’t exactly contemporary Amy March, in fact Little Women is frequently referenced as a known book, but rather an inspired by Amy March protagonist through a modern lens.
》Amy《
As I mentioned: I love Amy. I love her be she Elizabeth Taylor, Kirsten Dunst, Florence Pugh, or Amy Marsden. I love Amy. In this iteration we meet an Amy who is following her pragmatic mindset in advancing a career that will benefit her, but she has squashed her true desire and dreams of art. And of love. This book is her recovering both and I really admired her coming into that realization and that push she gave herself towards long-held goals and love.
》Theo《
We do get Theo POVs! I don’t believe there are as many as Amy’s, but we get a decent peak into his mind and where his heart has always lied. I enjoyed getting to experience his perspective throughout the story.
》The Romance《
The romance did well with its chemistry and compatibility between the characters. But with the already held feelings between the two, it felt less slow-burn and more a giant pause that stunted any forward movement for a bit too long. I wanted them to realize how right they fit! I do find their romance sweet, but not overly satisfying as I desired. I've always been team Amy/Laurie, let the record show!
》Off Beat《
For me the biggest issue I had with this work was how it went from even pacing for the majority of the book to completely uneven and rushed towards the end. Once feelings were expressed and the natural next steps expected in a romance book developed, the pacing became off. There would be an obstacle, one you’d expect would incur consequences, groveling, pain, basically angst..and it was resolved in a few lines. Any big action towards an obstacle/problem/betrayal was remedied far too quickly. It gave me whiplash. There wasn’t an expected climax, just a few whimpers of a bumps along the end. The resolutions came too quickly, and it frustrated me because the potential in their set up was fantastic.
Also both characters at time slacked urgency, which may seem to clash with the above, but for example, the book begins with Amy finding out her boyfriend cheated on her. It happens right at the start. She basically shrugs it off. He cheated, even if there was no love between them, the nonchalant attitude was puzzling. It was an attitude carried occasionally throughout the book at times where I wanted an urgency to be displayed in feelings. It was a mere shrug and moving on.
》Leave it to Amy《
I had gripes, I wish things had developed better, but I came for a story that uplifted Amy and that’s overall what I received. The underrated March sister gets her due. Amy is a fascinating character in every adaptation (or inspired piece) and it really makes me happy to see a work like this give her her time to shine.
She deserves it.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I am so glad I received one!
I enjoyed this— it isn’t without faults, which I’ll get to further down— but I loved feeling this take on an Amy that felt familiar but was her own original character. This isn’t exactly contemporary Amy March, in fact Little Women is frequently referenced as a known book, but rather an inspired by Amy March protagonist through a modern lens.
》Amy《
As I mentioned: I love Amy. I love her be she Elizabeth Taylor, Kirsten Dunst, Florence Pugh, or Amy Marsden. I love Amy. In this iteration we meet an Amy who is following her pragmatic mindset in advancing a career that will benefit her, but she has squashed her true desire and dreams of art. And of love. This book is her recovering both and I really admired her coming into that realization and that push she gave herself towards long-held goals and love.
》Theo《
We do get Theo POVs! I don’t believe there are as many as Amy’s, but we get a decent peak into his mind and where his heart has always lied. I enjoyed getting to experience his perspective throughout the story.
》The Romance《
The romance did well with its chemistry and compatibility between the characters. But with the already held feelings between the two, it felt less slow-burn and more a giant pause that stunted any forward movement for a bit too long. I wanted them to realize how right they fit! I do find their romance sweet, but not overly satisfying as I desired. I've always been team Amy/Laurie, let the record show!
》Off Beat《
For me the biggest issue I had with this work was how it went from even pacing for the majority of the book to completely uneven and rushed towards the end. Once feelings were expressed and the natural next steps expected in a romance book developed, the pacing became off. There would be an obstacle, one you’d expect would incur consequences, groveling, pain, basically angst..and it was resolved in a few lines. Any big action towards an obstacle/problem/betrayal was remedied far too quickly. It gave me whiplash. There wasn’t an expected climax, just a few whimpers of a bumps along the end. The resolutions came too quickly, and it frustrated me because the potential in their set up was fantastic.
Also both characters at time slacked urgency, which may seem to clash with the above, but for example, the book begins with Amy finding out her boyfriend cheated on her. It happens right at the start. She basically shrugs it off. He cheated, even if there was no love between them, the nonchalant attitude was puzzling. It was an attitude carried occasionally throughout the book at times where I wanted an urgency to be displayed in feelings. It was a mere shrug and moving on.
》Leave it to Amy《
I had gripes, I wish things had developed better, but I came for a story that uplifted Amy and that’s overall what I received. The underrated March sister gets her due. Amy is a fascinating character in every adaptation (or inspired piece) and it really makes me happy to see a work like this give her her time to shine.
She deserves it.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
May 11, 2023
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book- all opinions are my own.*
Little Women is my favorite book of all time- so gimme all the books that are inspired by it! The Laurie/Amy love story in the OG Little Women always intrigued me, so this novel was a really cute deep dive into that. It's also an insightful look into about how brokenness affects our relationships, and how the secrets we keep can haunt us. For a Rom-Com I thought it was quite insightful in that way, but also has the sweet love stories we're looking for in this type of read. I enjoyed this one for a more lighthearted read, and the characters were nice nods to the originals. (Though, there is one love scene in this book that's over very quickly, but felt SO awkward that it was hard to read...) I kinda feel like if you're doing nods to historical characters, you have to keep it closed door- haha! The side characters were all also fun to get to know. I'll be looking out for more reads by Sereno!
Little Women is my favorite book of all time- so gimme all the books that are inspired by it! The Laurie/Amy love story in the OG Little Women always intrigued me, so this novel was a really cute deep dive into that. It's also an insightful look into about how brokenness affects our relationships, and how the secrets we keep can haunt us. For a Rom-Com I thought it was quite insightful in that way, but also has the sweet love stories we're looking for in this type of read. I enjoyed this one for a more lighthearted read, and the characters were nice nods to the originals. (Though, there is one love scene in this book that's over very quickly, but felt SO awkward that it was hard to read...) I kinda feel like if you're doing nods to historical characters, you have to keep it closed door- haha! The side characters were all also fun to get to know. I'll be looking out for more reads by Sereno!
July 23, 2023
An fun loose Little Women retelling with the best slow burn roommate childhood friends to lovers storyline!! I am really enjoying this reimagined classics romcom series featuring different March sisters.
Amy is a relatable English professor and aspiring artist who has always had a thing for her older sister's best friend. When she finds herself living with him and his rescue cats things come to a head and she fights a losing battle with her feelings for him, only to find they might not be as one-sided as she thought.
While I did find the move from friends to lovers a bit sudden in this book overall I quite enjoyed it and all the Little Women references sprinkled throughout. Great on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Dylan Newton or Chloe Liese. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Amy is a relatable English professor and aspiring artist who has always had a thing for her older sister's best friend. When she finds herself living with him and his rescue cats things come to a head and she fights a losing battle with her feelings for him, only to find they might not be as one-sided as she thought.
While I did find the move from friends to lovers a bit sudden in this book overall I quite enjoyed it and all the Little Women references sprinkled throughout. Great on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Dylan Newton or Chloe Liese. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
March 15, 2023
“Little Women” is one of my all time favorite books and I immediately gravitate to any “retelling” of it. The 2019 movie version made me finally see the beauty in Amy and Laurie so I was beyond excited when I read the blurb of this novel.
Amy has always had a crush on Theo, her sister’s best friend and through circumstances neither one saw coming they end up as roommates. This book is a slow burn. Amy and Theo have history and their past isn’t easily forgotten.
I throughly enjoined this book. Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC of this book.
Amy has always had a crush on Theo, her sister’s best friend and through circumstances neither one saw coming they end up as roommates. This book is a slow burn. Amy and Theo have history and their past isn’t easily forgotten.
I throughly enjoined this book. Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC of this book.
January 17, 2024
Meh. I didn't get it. I was hoping for Little Women 2019 Amy and Laurie movie vibes and what I got felt like more of the author trying to force a romance. I had to break out my magnifying glass to find the chemistry between the main couple and it felt like the author was trying too hard to say, "AHA! Here is a pun involving Little Women to tie it in." Did I finish the whole thing because I cared just enough to see it through? Yes...but I don't have much more to say than that.
July 14, 2023
I didn’t have to force myself to finish reading this one, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it either. Based on Little Women, it is absolutely bursting at the seams with references and comparisons to characters. Chock full of miscommunication, straight up lies, and then pretty much glossing over conflict resolution had me cringing. “LOL I couldn’t tell you about this super important thing because someone else is superstitious about it” oh okay. Nah. I’m not okay with it. I did love the MMC fostering all of the animals though! Yep. That’s it.
Amy has always dated “characters” and the latest one dumped her for the pizza girl who delivered to their shared apartment. Needing to move out yesterday, she snatches the opportunity when a shared house rental opportunity arises and doesn’t bother to meet the landlord she will be living with, or even look at their name. Turns out it’s her old friend Theo, who slammed a door in her face last time they talked. Totally gonna be cool.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy to review!
Amy has always dated “characters” and the latest one dumped her for the pizza girl who delivered to their shared apartment. Needing to move out yesterday, she snatches the opportunity when a shared house rental opportunity arises and doesn’t bother to meet the landlord she will be living with, or even look at their name. Turns out it’s her old friend Theo, who slammed a door in her face last time they talked. Totally gonna be cool.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy to review!
June 29, 2023
3.5 stars - There was a lot to enjoy about this book, but I enjoyed Blame It On the Brontes a bit more. Theo and Amy's lifelong friendship that turned into a relationship was my favorite part of the book. Theo's love for animals and how protective he is of them was a very endearing quality for him to have. He's a great guy but doesn't believe in himself enough to think he'd ever be good enough for Amy. Amy, on the other hand, has loved Theo for so long and only dates men who are the complete opposite of him because she's subconsciously waiting for Theo. I really didn't care for Amy's sister Jo, but I really liked their mother (Marmee). She had a lot of spunk. Jo kind of redeemed herself at the end of the book, but it wasn't enough, in my opinion. I'm glad that Athena and Thorne and a few other characters from Blame It On the Brontes were featured in this book, and I liked a few of the new characters, like Gary, Stella, and Lando and of course all the cats living with Theo and Moose the dog. I really liked how the book ended with lots of happy endings for everyone.
March 31, 2023
I’m a huge fan of “Little Women” but I failed to see the correlation between it and this story. Frankly, this was kind of odd, and I felt like it was trying too hard to be something it isn’t. If we removed any and all connections to “Little Women” it MAY have made an okay standalone. However, the plot was a bit jumpy, and it didn’t seem to know what the point is. While I think the story COULD HAVE potential, it just wasn’t for me.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Forever. All opinions are my own.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Forever. All opinions are my own.
June 10, 2023
3.5 stars! a fun and unique retelling (can you call this that?) of little women and i liked it although it took me a while to read. i just wasn’t fully into it. the pacing was fine but the plot wasn’t very exciting.
i think although it did have aspects similar and inspired by little women, i dont feel confidently calling it a modern retelling (i dont know! im no literature buff!). it also felt implied you’d see more of jo in this with what the title was (or the other sisters) but it was only amy and jo who was a big side character (emphasis on side).
it was really cute though! amy was sweet and theo was broody but i found their partnership frustrating. it was so back and forth at the end feeling very “heres an issue and boom! its solved” especially when it happened twice back to back. i felt unfulfilled.
i wish i got more from theo’s pov. i think that might’ve helped me move along in the book. his chapters were sparse and i think i needed his view that related to his life AND how he felt about amy. without, it felt too one sided and frankly a little boring.
i think overall it was a good book but i don’t think i’d pick it up again or purchase it for myself. thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.
i think although it did have aspects similar and inspired by little women, i dont feel confidently calling it a modern retelling (i dont know! im no literature buff!). it also felt implied you’d see more of jo in this with what the title was (or the other sisters) but it was only amy and jo who was a big side character (emphasis on side).
it was really cute though! amy was sweet and theo was broody but i found their partnership frustrating. it was so back and forth at the end feeling very “heres an issue and boom! its solved” especially when it happened twice back to back. i felt unfulfilled.
i wish i got more from theo’s pov. i think that might’ve helped me move along in the book. his chapters were sparse and i think i needed his view that related to his life AND how he felt about amy. without, it felt too one sided and frankly a little boring.
i think overall it was a good book but i don’t think i’d pick it up again or purchase it for myself. thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.
December 15, 2023
A friends to lovers story that takes you away into the world of Amy and Theo. A wonderful reimagining of the classic Little Women. It does not follow the exact plot of the classic but does sprinkle in references to the original work throughout the book.
Getting to know Amy and Theo in the first part of the story was enjoyable but, at times, it was almost too slow of a burn. The way the characters were written made them feel real and relatable. It was fun to see Amy finally get her time to shine in this adaptation.
If you enjoy Little Women or Women's Contemporary Fiction then I recommend you pick this one up and enjoy. I am grateful to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this sweet book in exchange for an honest review.
Getting to know Amy and Theo in the first part of the story was enjoyable but, at times, it was almost too slow of a burn. The way the characters were written made them feel real and relatable. It was fun to see Amy finally get her time to shine in this adaptation.
If you enjoy Little Women or Women's Contemporary Fiction then I recommend you pick this one up and enjoy. I am grateful to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this sweet book in exchange for an honest review.
May 19, 2023
I love how this story focused on Amy! I enjoyed both her and Theo’s relationship and them individually as characters. I do wish we had had a bit more character development/plot development. The ending felt a bit rushed to me. I loved the inclusion of Little Women quotes! Overall, a solid read.
July 12, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up. While I liked this story, it moved really slowly.
October 5, 2023
Thanks but no thanks.
Really wanted to love this but ended up DNF @50%. I felt like the story pacing was off and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two main characters.
Really wanted to love this but ended up DNF @50%. I felt like the story pacing was off and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two main characters.
April 15, 2025
I got through it, but I didn't love it.
August 22, 2025
It was definitely a cheesy book and I wish it gave more backstory and a little bit more sweet romance.
April 1, 2025
Strap in friends, because I have THOUGHTS. *deep breath* Okay.
Leave it to The March Sisters, advertised as a modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic Little Women, may be better marketed as a potential modernization of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Two lovers, Theo and Amy, could have been something as ambitious college students, but a betrayal from Amy makes this impossible. Now a professor and chair of the English department at a small Illinois college, Amy finds herself living with Theo–as his tennant. Is reconciliation between the two lovers possible? Even in this brief synopsis, there are obvious parallels to Persuasion. But where Jane Austen shines, Annie Sereno flails.
In her youth, Anne Elliot is persuaded by her family to rebuff Mr. Wentworth. Anne sorely regrets this choice for years until Wentworth, now a captain, steps back into her life. Despite off-the-page origins, the reblossoming love between Anne and Wentworth feels organic to the reader. In the beginning, we are clearly able to see Anne’s regret at rebuffing her old love, witness firsthand the consequences that have arisen from this decision (those around her see her life as largely over, and expect her to dedicate it to them). We see Anne try to set Wentworth free and treat him fairly in the novel, making up for her past transgression, despite the pain it causes her. We see her care for him. We see them get to know each other again as adults, and watch these new versions of themselves fall in love with each other the way their youthful selves did. The love story does not suffer for its off-page origins.
The deep themes and emotionally driven choices critical to Persuasion are absent from Leave it to the March Sisters. Like Persuasion, the initial development of the leads’ feelings to one another happen off the page, in the throes of youth (like Little Women, the two are childhood friends). However, in this retelling it feels not as if they are falling in love again (a new and more mature love), but like the characters are clinging onto some past that never came to be. We see them pine after one another (though this is mainly contained to pining about physical attributes) but we are left wondering why exactly they have this pull on one another in the first place. Theo describes Amy’s familiar curly blonde hair and lithe figure as reasons he hasn’t gotten over her, but we never see him grow enamored with them in the first place, not even in flashbacks. Why does he like them so much? What is so appealing about them? The love is just there, liminal, unchanging, constant throughout the book. It doesn’t change and morph; it doesn’t narrow in scope, and it doesn’t mature or deepen.
In Persuasion, the main conflict that prevents Anne and Wentworth’s reconciliation is a past betrayal. Anne is persuaded by her family to reject Wentworth because of his station. In Leave it to The March Sisters, Theo breaks up with Amy because she paints an exhibit of his parents’ unhealthy relationship dynamic, leading to their divorce. This is an effective betrayal the author has built into the plot, and it would make sense for Amy to spend most of the book trying to change and make up for this leading up to the pair’s eventual reconciliation. Unfortunately, the author opts for a much cheaper conflict. Instead of keeping this initial betrayal as a throughline, Theo forgives Amy in the first act, seemingly out of the blue. There is no emotional buildup leading to forgiveness, in fact, it doesn’t feel like an emotionally driven choice at all (this is a persistent theme throughout the book). Instead, he is mad at her for it for a few chapters, before forgiving her in an overly cavalier conversation. It honestly reads as nondramatic as, “Hey, sorry I didn’t do the dishes this morning. I’ll do them now that I’m home. “Oh, okay, yeah it was a little inconvenient but no biggie.”
Instead, what keeps Amy and Theo apart for a large section of the novel is Amy’s insecurity that Theo is in love with Jo, despite there being no evidence to prove this (Theo and Jo had a falling out years ago that no one will tell Amy the details of, despite all three of them being close friends). Jo expresses no desire to move from Seattle to Illinois to pursue anything with Theo. All Amy has to go on is a hug and a chance meeting at an airport that she witnesses by happenstance. It is a conflict so flippant it could be solved in two minutes, with a simple, “Hey Theo, I’m into you, but I saw you with Jo the other day and I’m just a bit confused. I wanted to clear the air so I can know whether I just need to drop the torch. I really enjoy living here and just want it to be a healthy and productive environment for both of us.” But bizarrely, the author opts for this misunderstanding instead of a major betrayal that caused a years-long falling out up to the beginning of the novel. It boggles the mind. Amy and Theo are in their mid thirties and unable to communicate like adults, and yet we are expected to root for them to be in a relationship?
In Persuasion, Wentworth is able to advocate for his wants and clarify any misunderstanding throughout the book the second he becomes aware of them. His letter to Anne at the end of the novel is emotional and raw, intimate and enduring, a grand profession of forgiveness. This emotion is largely absent from Annie Sereno’s retelling. In fact, this may be my biggest gripe with the novel as a whole. Through reading, one may get a sense of what the characters like and dislike (Amy likes cheetos and dislikes cooking, Theo likes animals and dislikes commitment) but we hardly ever get a sense of how they feel, apart from being blatantly told by the author. Amy’s mother, Marmee, is a black widow, and has had several husbands who have died, but this is played for laughs. We never see the effect that this revolving door of men (not to mention the grief and trauma) has on Amy. How does this affect her unsuccessful dating life? How has seeing her mother’s love life caused her to fear committing in her own right? We may get a superficial view of each character, but it feels as if they are just riding through life, not driving through it. Things happen to them but they do not actively make them happen, because there are no complex emotions informing the way these characters interact with one another.
A perfect example of this comes in the shape of Theo’s clients, two lawyers whom he guides through couples therapy, and who he assumes are healthy because they are outwardly serene. He is proven wrong around halfway through the book when the couple decides to divorce. As a result of the divorce, Theo’s license as a counselor is suspended (a ridiculous prospect in its own right), and this seems to be the main and only effect of the situation. As a reader, I want to know: why does Theo assume the lawyer couple is fine, just because they are outwardly calm? What surprises him the most when he is proven wrong? How does the pie throwing incident shake up his inner world and how does it change the way he views relationships? Does he assume they are healthy because this form of unhealthiness is so starkly different from his parents’ yelling matches? These dots are never connected. Instead, this situation is used as a device for those around Theo to inform him he can’t counsel well if he’s not in a relationship, instead of changing anything about him as a character. Again, the only ultimate consequence for Theo is his license being suspended, something we are told he is unhappy about, but that, again, has no bearing on his worldview as a whole.
As a reader, I didn’t even get a sense that he was passionate about his career in the first place. The characters act like they were given their jobs with no choice in the matter, even though the narrative directly contradicts this. Amy was supposed to be a lawyer, and Theo a doctor. We are never told why they would be unhappy in these careers, only that it wasn’t right. We get no sense of why Amy is passionate about painting, only that she is. What caused her to fall in love with it? What draws her to portraits, specifically, apart from her belief they will be commercially successful? Likewise, the reader is given no sense of why Theo likes to foster animals, only that he does (and always has). What draws Amy to Tennyson? She wrote an entire dissertation on him but is unable to explain why she even likes him in the first place, or why she even likes her job as a teacher. We are only told she likes being a professor by Theo in a flippant, throwaway comment about her grading papers. There is no indication of complex inner worlds that allow their relationship with one another to have actual meaning. For this reason, the novel reads as your friend explaining a romance novel they recently read, rather than one you are reading for yourself.
Annie Sereno has taken references and inspiration from great literature (the Brontes, Louisa May Alcott, Tennyson, and more) for her modern retelling, but seems to not understand what drove these novels in the first place, and what elements have caused them to endure. Novels like Persuasion and Little Women survive because of timeless emotional truth housed within their pages, truths that are entirely absent from Sereno’s work. Little Women, which this novel is supposed to retell, is entirely built off of sisterhood and the complex relationships between loved ones. Again, however, this dynamic is absent from Leave it to The March Sisters. We are told that Jo and Amy are close, but we hardly ever see this in practice, hardly see them on the phone, only one or two snippets from a long visit to see each other. Jo teaches an entire seminar for Amy and we only hear about it in passing, after the fact.
One of Amy’s big regrets in the novel is that, years ago, Jo asked her to appeal to their stepfather for tuition so that Jo could attend the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Amy does not do this, and therefore Jo is unable to go. Amy spends much of the book regretting this inaction, but the regret feels hollow. Jo is a successful writer despite not getting her MFA, and likes her life in Seattle. Despite Jo’s obvious contentment, Amy spends the whole book trying to create an entire department at her university for Jo to teach creative writing at, even though Jo rejects the prospect of teaching there multiple times, and hardly ever appears in the book to boot. We have no sense of the bond between these two. Jo won’t even tell Amy the details of a major falling out between her and Theo. Arguably, her most pronounced character trait throughout the book is keeping secrets from Amy, for no reason the reader is able to discern (besides enabling the author to have a “big reveal” at the end).
The decision to fight for a creative writing department for Jo doesn’t make sense, either. Does Amy have a pattern of making decisions she thinks are best for Jo, without Jo’s consent? How does this affect Jo? How does this affect their relationship? If we had gotten any sense of this pattern as inherent to their bond or as a character trait of Amy’s, this subplot may make sense. It might even inform Amy’s character when she realizes she can not place her wish to make things better above what is actually best for those she’s harmed (and this realization would tie in with her initial betrayal to Theo, if that through-line had been maintained…grrr, the things this book could have been). The act of championing for Jo with the department is a hollow one, not informed by her bond with Jo or by a deep sense of regret that is clearly displayed. As stated before, in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, we see the ways regret eats at Anne before she is vindicated, without having to be told in so many words. She pines for Wentworth on almost every page, bonds with his friend about lost love, grows meek and quiet within her household and never attempts to marry. She refuses to get in the way of Wentworth’s happiness when she believes he will marry another, because she feels terrible for breaking his heart. In Leave it to The March Sisters, we are only told that regret is the reason for Amy’s actions, actions that will not actually serve Jo in any way, making them inherently hollow.
It is clear that the author possesses knowledge of how to write effectively from a syntactic and grammatical perspective, and even her dialogue is passable overall. This knowledge of technique is all that saves Sereno’s work from one star, though it almost makes the book even more of a letdown.
A romance needs emotion, we need to see why these people love each other, rather than simply being told they do. We need to see them making decisions based on emotion in order to root for them in the first place. If none of their decisions have weight, how is their eventual choice to be together supposed to mean anything? Sereno needed to spend less time on characters from her previous book and on pointless side quests (one of which was Amy and her friend trying to figure out what a fellow professor carried around in his backpack…seriously) and focus more on the core of the novel: Amy and Theo (and Jo). I wish I saw more flashbacks, more trepidation, more emotional buildup. An effective narrative technique may have been to have two stories: one of Theo and Amy falling in love as students, one in the modern day. There is built in tension here–we know that it didn’t work out between them (as much is implied in their present-plotline reunion), making the final reveal catastrophic and the ultimate reconciliation thoroughly earned. Without profundity, every action in this book seems out of the blue and every triumph anticlimactic. If you want to read an actually good second chance romance, head over to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Persuasion.
Leave it to The March Sisters, advertised as a modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic Little Women, may be better marketed as a potential modernization of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Two lovers, Theo and Amy, could have been something as ambitious college students, but a betrayal from Amy makes this impossible. Now a professor and chair of the English department at a small Illinois college, Amy finds herself living with Theo–as his tennant. Is reconciliation between the two lovers possible? Even in this brief synopsis, there are obvious parallels to Persuasion. But where Jane Austen shines, Annie Sereno flails.
In her youth, Anne Elliot is persuaded by her family to rebuff Mr. Wentworth. Anne sorely regrets this choice for years until Wentworth, now a captain, steps back into her life. Despite off-the-page origins, the reblossoming love between Anne and Wentworth feels organic to the reader. In the beginning, we are clearly able to see Anne’s regret at rebuffing her old love, witness firsthand the consequences that have arisen from this decision (those around her see her life as largely over, and expect her to dedicate it to them). We see Anne try to set Wentworth free and treat him fairly in the novel, making up for her past transgression, despite the pain it causes her. We see her care for him. We see them get to know each other again as adults, and watch these new versions of themselves fall in love with each other the way their youthful selves did. The love story does not suffer for its off-page origins.
The deep themes and emotionally driven choices critical to Persuasion are absent from Leave it to the March Sisters. Like Persuasion, the initial development of the leads’ feelings to one another happen off the page, in the throes of youth (like Little Women, the two are childhood friends). However, in this retelling it feels not as if they are falling in love again (a new and more mature love), but like the characters are clinging onto some past that never came to be. We see them pine after one another (though this is mainly contained to pining about physical attributes) but we are left wondering why exactly they have this pull on one another in the first place. Theo describes Amy’s familiar curly blonde hair and lithe figure as reasons he hasn’t gotten over her, but we never see him grow enamored with them in the first place, not even in flashbacks. Why does he like them so much? What is so appealing about them? The love is just there, liminal, unchanging, constant throughout the book. It doesn’t change and morph; it doesn’t narrow in scope, and it doesn’t mature or deepen.
In Persuasion, the main conflict that prevents Anne and Wentworth’s reconciliation is a past betrayal. Anne is persuaded by her family to reject Wentworth because of his station. In Leave it to The March Sisters, Theo breaks up with Amy because she paints an exhibit of his parents’ unhealthy relationship dynamic, leading to their divorce. This is an effective betrayal the author has built into the plot, and it would make sense for Amy to spend most of the book trying to change and make up for this leading up to the pair’s eventual reconciliation. Unfortunately, the author opts for a much cheaper conflict. Instead of keeping this initial betrayal as a throughline, Theo forgives Amy in the first act, seemingly out of the blue. There is no emotional buildup leading to forgiveness, in fact, it doesn’t feel like an emotionally driven choice at all (this is a persistent theme throughout the book). Instead, he is mad at her for it for a few chapters, before forgiving her in an overly cavalier conversation. It honestly reads as nondramatic as, “Hey, sorry I didn’t do the dishes this morning. I’ll do them now that I’m home. “Oh, okay, yeah it was a little inconvenient but no biggie.”
Instead, what keeps Amy and Theo apart for a large section of the novel is Amy’s insecurity that Theo is in love with Jo, despite there being no evidence to prove this (Theo and Jo had a falling out years ago that no one will tell Amy the details of, despite all three of them being close friends). Jo expresses no desire to move from Seattle to Illinois to pursue anything with Theo. All Amy has to go on is a hug and a chance meeting at an airport that she witnesses by happenstance. It is a conflict so flippant it could be solved in two minutes, with a simple, “Hey Theo, I’m into you, but I saw you with Jo the other day and I’m just a bit confused. I wanted to clear the air so I can know whether I just need to drop the torch. I really enjoy living here and just want it to be a healthy and productive environment for both of us.” But bizarrely, the author opts for this misunderstanding instead of a major betrayal that caused a years-long falling out up to the beginning of the novel. It boggles the mind. Amy and Theo are in their mid thirties and unable to communicate like adults, and yet we are expected to root for them to be in a relationship?
In Persuasion, Wentworth is able to advocate for his wants and clarify any misunderstanding throughout the book the second he becomes aware of them. His letter to Anne at the end of the novel is emotional and raw, intimate and enduring, a grand profession of forgiveness. This emotion is largely absent from Annie Sereno’s retelling. In fact, this may be my biggest gripe with the novel as a whole. Through reading, one may get a sense of what the characters like and dislike (Amy likes cheetos and dislikes cooking, Theo likes animals and dislikes commitment) but we hardly ever get a sense of how they feel, apart from being blatantly told by the author. Amy’s mother, Marmee, is a black widow, and has had several husbands who have died, but this is played for laughs. We never see the effect that this revolving door of men (not to mention the grief and trauma) has on Amy. How does this affect her unsuccessful dating life? How has seeing her mother’s love life caused her to fear committing in her own right? We may get a superficial view of each character, but it feels as if they are just riding through life, not driving through it. Things happen to them but they do not actively make them happen, because there are no complex emotions informing the way these characters interact with one another.
A perfect example of this comes in the shape of Theo’s clients, two lawyers whom he guides through couples therapy, and who he assumes are healthy because they are outwardly serene. He is proven wrong around halfway through the book when the couple decides to divorce. As a result of the divorce, Theo’s license as a counselor is suspended (a ridiculous prospect in its own right), and this seems to be the main and only effect of the situation. As a reader, I want to know: why does Theo assume the lawyer couple is fine, just because they are outwardly calm? What surprises him the most when he is proven wrong? How does the pie throwing incident shake up his inner world and how does it change the way he views relationships? Does he assume they are healthy because this form of unhealthiness is so starkly different from his parents’ yelling matches? These dots are never connected. Instead, this situation is used as a device for those around Theo to inform him he can’t counsel well if he’s not in a relationship, instead of changing anything about him as a character. Again, the only ultimate consequence for Theo is his license being suspended, something we are told he is unhappy about, but that, again, has no bearing on his worldview as a whole.
As a reader, I didn’t even get a sense that he was passionate about his career in the first place. The characters act like they were given their jobs with no choice in the matter, even though the narrative directly contradicts this. Amy was supposed to be a lawyer, and Theo a doctor. We are never told why they would be unhappy in these careers, only that it wasn’t right. We get no sense of why Amy is passionate about painting, only that she is. What caused her to fall in love with it? What draws her to portraits, specifically, apart from her belief they will be commercially successful? Likewise, the reader is given no sense of why Theo likes to foster animals, only that he does (and always has). What draws Amy to Tennyson? She wrote an entire dissertation on him but is unable to explain why she even likes him in the first place, or why she even likes her job as a teacher. We are only told she likes being a professor by Theo in a flippant, throwaway comment about her grading papers. There is no indication of complex inner worlds that allow their relationship with one another to have actual meaning. For this reason, the novel reads as your friend explaining a romance novel they recently read, rather than one you are reading for yourself.
Annie Sereno has taken references and inspiration from great literature (the Brontes, Louisa May Alcott, Tennyson, and more) for her modern retelling, but seems to not understand what drove these novels in the first place, and what elements have caused them to endure. Novels like Persuasion and Little Women survive because of timeless emotional truth housed within their pages, truths that are entirely absent from Sereno’s work. Little Women, which this novel is supposed to retell, is entirely built off of sisterhood and the complex relationships between loved ones. Again, however, this dynamic is absent from Leave it to The March Sisters. We are told that Jo and Amy are close, but we hardly ever see this in practice, hardly see them on the phone, only one or two snippets from a long visit to see each other. Jo teaches an entire seminar for Amy and we only hear about it in passing, after the fact.
One of Amy’s big regrets in the novel is that, years ago, Jo asked her to appeal to their stepfather for tuition so that Jo could attend the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Amy does not do this, and therefore Jo is unable to go. Amy spends much of the book regretting this inaction, but the regret feels hollow. Jo is a successful writer despite not getting her MFA, and likes her life in Seattle. Despite Jo’s obvious contentment, Amy spends the whole book trying to create an entire department at her university for Jo to teach creative writing at, even though Jo rejects the prospect of teaching there multiple times, and hardly ever appears in the book to boot. We have no sense of the bond between these two. Jo won’t even tell Amy the details of a major falling out between her and Theo. Arguably, her most pronounced character trait throughout the book is keeping secrets from Amy, for no reason the reader is able to discern (besides enabling the author to have a “big reveal” at the end).
The decision to fight for a creative writing department for Jo doesn’t make sense, either. Does Amy have a pattern of making decisions she thinks are best for Jo, without Jo’s consent? How does this affect Jo? How does this affect their relationship? If we had gotten any sense of this pattern as inherent to their bond or as a character trait of Amy’s, this subplot may make sense. It might even inform Amy’s character when she realizes she can not place her wish to make things better above what is actually best for those she’s harmed (and this realization would tie in with her initial betrayal to Theo, if that through-line had been maintained…grrr, the things this book could have been). The act of championing for Jo with the department is a hollow one, not informed by her bond with Jo or by a deep sense of regret that is clearly displayed. As stated before, in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, we see the ways regret eats at Anne before she is vindicated, without having to be told in so many words. She pines for Wentworth on almost every page, bonds with his friend about lost love, grows meek and quiet within her household and never attempts to marry. She refuses to get in the way of Wentworth’s happiness when she believes he will marry another, because she feels terrible for breaking his heart. In Leave it to The March Sisters, we are only told that regret is the reason for Amy’s actions, actions that will not actually serve Jo in any way, making them inherently hollow.
It is clear that the author possesses knowledge of how to write effectively from a syntactic and grammatical perspective, and even her dialogue is passable overall. This knowledge of technique is all that saves Sereno’s work from one star, though it almost makes the book even more of a letdown.
A romance needs emotion, we need to see why these people love each other, rather than simply being told they do. We need to see them making decisions based on emotion in order to root for them in the first place. If none of their decisions have weight, how is their eventual choice to be together supposed to mean anything? Sereno needed to spend less time on characters from her previous book and on pointless side quests (one of which was Amy and her friend trying to figure out what a fellow professor carried around in his backpack…seriously) and focus more on the core of the novel: Amy and Theo (and Jo). I wish I saw more flashbacks, more trepidation, more emotional buildup. An effective narrative technique may have been to have two stories: one of Theo and Amy falling in love as students, one in the modern day. There is built in tension here–we know that it didn’t work out between them (as much is implied in their present-plotline reunion), making the final reveal catastrophic and the ultimate reconciliation thoroughly earned. Without profundity, every action in this book seems out of the blue and every triumph anticlimactic. If you want to read an actually good second chance romance, head over to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Persuasion.
June 4, 2023
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review on Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Little Women is such a special book to me and I have very strong emotions tied to this American classic. I cried three times while reading it, including on a stationary bike in a public gym. I cried in those same exact spots when I saw the Greta Gerwig adaptation. When I saw there was a modern retelling of it available, I jumped at the opportunity. Leave It to the March Sisters certainly captured the essence of Little Women, but was lost through the oversaturation of side characters. I personally relate very deeply with Amy March and it was so exhilarating to see her finally get the spotlight instead of her sister, Jo. It was evident the author resonated with her as well or we wouldn't have gotten this unique perspective. There were too many snapshots of Amy's daily minutiae, instead of those key scenes between her and Laurie.
My favorite scenes in the book were between Laurie and Amy, and they were scattered like crumbs. There was too much emphasis on the side characters rather than the main couple. Perhaps that's just me being a greedy romance reader, but I wanted to see that relationship blossom on a more consistent basis. I really didn't like our characters going on dates with other people within their own love story. That really rubs me the wrong way, specifically within the context of knowing they're end game. I thought Laurie and Amy complemented each other in the loveliest way and it was evident they were soulmates from the beginning. Is it wrong of me to desire more interactions of two beans in love?
Leave It to the March Sisters was a lovely modern retelling that brought back all those little flutters when I first read Little Women. It was clear this was a love letter to Louisa May Alcott and how influential it was to this particular author. It was by no means perfect, but it was certainly written with love. I'm glad we finally got some justice for Amy March and little sisters everywhere. Leave it to the March Sisters and I'll take Laurie for myself!
Little Women is such a special book to me and I have very strong emotions tied to this American classic. I cried three times while reading it, including on a stationary bike in a public gym. I cried in those same exact spots when I saw the Greta Gerwig adaptation. When I saw there was a modern retelling of it available, I jumped at the opportunity. Leave It to the March Sisters certainly captured the essence of Little Women, but was lost through the oversaturation of side characters. I personally relate very deeply with Amy March and it was so exhilarating to see her finally get the spotlight instead of her sister, Jo. It was evident the author resonated with her as well or we wouldn't have gotten this unique perspective. There were too many snapshots of Amy's daily minutiae, instead of those key scenes between her and Laurie.
My favorite scenes in the book were between Laurie and Amy, and they were scattered like crumbs. There was too much emphasis on the side characters rather than the main couple. Perhaps that's just me being a greedy romance reader, but I wanted to see that relationship blossom on a more consistent basis. I really didn't like our characters going on dates with other people within their own love story. That really rubs me the wrong way, specifically within the context of knowing they're end game. I thought Laurie and Amy complemented each other in the loveliest way and it was evident they were soulmates from the beginning. Is it wrong of me to desire more interactions of two beans in love?
Leave It to the March Sisters was a lovely modern retelling that brought back all those little flutters when I first read Little Women. It was clear this was a love letter to Louisa May Alcott and how influential it was to this particular author. It was by no means perfect, but it was certainly written with love. I'm glad we finally got some justice for Amy March and little sisters everywhere. Leave it to the March Sisters and I'll take Laurie for myself!
June 1, 2023
dnf 26%. I tried. I really really really wanted to give this book a chance, but I'm a quarter of the way in and I can't make myself care about Amy or Theo. I also have no idea what the actual story is because so far there has been no plot, just exposition. I was turned off instantly by Theo because he is a landlord, why they couldn't just let him be only a therapist is beyond me. Also the fact that his practice is threatening to fire him because two of his couples are getting divorced is just insane and no where near reality. Amy comes across as so young and immature (which yes, that's her character in Little Women) but it makes it impossible for me to believe she is not only a college professor but a department head. I also find it very weird that Little Women exists in the book and Amy is constantly comparing her life to the book. I really don't know what the author was trying to do. There was nothing offensive or overtly bad, it just doesn't work.
March 10, 2023
Amy has had her share of relationship disasters and finds herself desperate for housing after her latest boyfriend decided someone else is better. She hurriedly signs a lease and is surprised to learn that her landlord is sisters previous friend – Theo. As sparks start to fly, and their feelings grow, Amy can’t help but wonder if shes setting herself up for another disaster.
This was definitely a slow burn romance. The romance didn’t happen until about the 80% mark – before that it was just a bunch of long drawn out exchanges and angst. I felt that this really slowed the pacing of the whole book down. Being 400 pages, this book is already fairly long, and then for it to feel even longer was disappointing. Then the ending just felt rushed.
What I like: the characters. I really did enjoy the character development. I also really enjoyed getting a few chapters from Theo’s character though I would have liked a few more. The chemistry between Theo and Amy. This was part of the reason I got annoyed it took them so long.
If you are looking for a slow burn romance, with lots of great chemistry, then check this one out May 30th.
Netgalley will be updated with instagram link when posted.
This was definitely a slow burn romance. The romance didn’t happen until about the 80% mark – before that it was just a bunch of long drawn out exchanges and angst. I felt that this really slowed the pacing of the whole book down. Being 400 pages, this book is already fairly long, and then for it to feel even longer was disappointing. Then the ending just felt rushed.
What I like: the characters. I really did enjoy the character development. I also really enjoyed getting a few chapters from Theo’s character though I would have liked a few more. The chemistry between Theo and Amy. This was part of the reason I got annoyed it took them so long.
If you are looking for a slow burn romance, with lots of great chemistry, then check this one out May 30th.
Netgalley will be updated with instagram link when posted.
June 6, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was like eating comfort food or sitting down and chatting with a childhood friend. Little Women and cat lovers will especially be drawn to this story. In some ways it is old fashioned, in other ways it's quite modern with no shortage of dating, short term relationships and even an explicit sex scene or two. And while it's true the the plot development is slow moving, I was completely comfortable with that and enjoyed the journey including the everyday details and character development experienced along the way.
Perhaps it was my love of Little Women AND cats that completely enraptured me while reading this book. The central characters are sisters Amy and Jo and their childhood friend Theo, who at one time or the other it appears both sisters have lost their hearts to. We first meet Amy who is in the process of breaking up with her latest live-in boyfriend. Well, she was the one who was living-in, that is. Amy has a history of short lived romances with some pretty eccentric men. She has to move out of her current situation quickly, as her replacement is moving in pronto. This leads her to an apartment that is available immediately, which is actually the second floor of a gorgeous home with lots of character and a whole bunch of cats!
The professional side of Amy's life is totally the opposite of her love life. She is a Ph.D. and has been granted a position as chair of the English Department of the local college in the town of Laurel. She is a respected scholar and has fit in nicely in the world of academia. Her passion, however, is art. It is a passion that is mainly left unfulfilled and she constantly yearns for time in her extremely busy schedule to be able to devote to it. It is also a passion that has caused a rift between her and her beloved friend Theo from an incident in the past. This estrangement causes her much sadness, especially since they had briefly been on the verge of a romantic relationship and she has secretly harbored a crush on him since childhood. A crush that has turned into full blown love and lust in adulthood. Her sister and Theo had a mysterious blow out argument and no longer speak to each other, adding the final death knell to their formerly inseparable trio.
As luck would have it, it truly is a small world and the homeowner and live-in landlord of her new lodging turns out to be Theo himself! After the initial shock, they settle into a civil routine of old friends, now housemates. Theo also experiences ill-fated relationships. Both Amy and Theo are full of insecurities and there are many deceptions, past and present, going on as well. As they circle around each other, and each in their own way work through the traumas and insecurities they have suffered, they start to heal emotionally. And oh my gosh, I loved the pets, especially the cats, who rule over the home. Particularly the cat who adopted Amy, whose name is Nina. She stole my heart! Theo fosters cats and sometimes dogs for the local animal shelter until he can find homes for them (except for some like Nina, who finds her own place with Amy).
This is the perfect book for a cozy weekend of reading, with a cup of tea, and hopefully a kitty or two!
Perhaps it was my love of Little Women AND cats that completely enraptured me while reading this book. The central characters are sisters Amy and Jo and their childhood friend Theo, who at one time or the other it appears both sisters have lost their hearts to. We first meet Amy who is in the process of breaking up with her latest live-in boyfriend. Well, she was the one who was living-in, that is. Amy has a history of short lived romances with some pretty eccentric men. She has to move out of her current situation quickly, as her replacement is moving in pronto. This leads her to an apartment that is available immediately, which is actually the second floor of a gorgeous home with lots of character and a whole bunch of cats!
The professional side of Amy's life is totally the opposite of her love life. She is a Ph.D. and has been granted a position as chair of the English Department of the local college in the town of Laurel. She is a respected scholar and has fit in nicely in the world of academia. Her passion, however, is art. It is a passion that is mainly left unfulfilled and she constantly yearns for time in her extremely busy schedule to be able to devote to it. It is also a passion that has caused a rift between her and her beloved friend Theo from an incident in the past. This estrangement causes her much sadness, especially since they had briefly been on the verge of a romantic relationship and she has secretly harbored a crush on him since childhood. A crush that has turned into full blown love and lust in adulthood. Her sister and Theo had a mysterious blow out argument and no longer speak to each other, adding the final death knell to their formerly inseparable trio.
As luck would have it, it truly is a small world and the homeowner and live-in landlord of her new lodging turns out to be Theo himself! After the initial shock, they settle into a civil routine of old friends, now housemates. Theo also experiences ill-fated relationships. Both Amy and Theo are full of insecurities and there are many deceptions, past and present, going on as well. As they circle around each other, and each in their own way work through the traumas and insecurities they have suffered, they start to heal emotionally. And oh my gosh, I loved the pets, especially the cats, who rule over the home. Particularly the cat who adopted Amy, whose name is Nina. She stole my heart! Theo fosters cats and sometimes dogs for the local animal shelter until he can find homes for them (except for some like Nina, who finds her own place with Amy).
This is the perfect book for a cozy weekend of reading, with a cup of tea, and hopefully a kitty or two!
May 25, 2023
This is a fun contemporary romance, especially for Little Women lovers. Amy is a college professor whose true passion is to be an artist. When she and her boyfriend break up, she has to quickly find somewhere to live, and she ends up renting the second floor of a house. Little does she know, her sister’s ex-best friend, who is also Amy’s childhood crush, owns the place and lives on the first floor.
Amy hasn’t spoken to or seen Theo in years, not since her sister and Theo had a huge fight. Needless to say, this makes living in the same house pretty awkward at first. But the more time they spend together, the more they must face their unspoken feelings for each other and what happened years ago that changed the trajectory of all of their lives.
I enjoyed the growing romance between Amy and Theo. They have so much history, and they have a lot to work through. Miscommunication, secrets, lack of trust, and so much more stand in their way, and I just wanted them to be honest with each other because it was obvious they belonged together.
I also really liked the similarities and references to Little Women. It’s clear the author has a love of the story, and I liked the contemporary spin on the novel. The story also includes quotes and references to the literary classic and the movie remakes, which was great. It will definitely appeal to Little Women fans, but I don’t think you need to have read the book or seen the movies to pick up the references in this book.
I have to say, I didn’t love Jo at all. I couldn’t understand some of the things she did, how she encouraged some secret-keeping, and how secretive she was about her own life. Also, the pacing was a bit choppy at times and pulled me out of the story, especially toward the end of the book. I thought the first half was stronger and pretty evenly paced, but the second half lulled in some parts and was abrupt in others.
A story of forgiveness, family, and falling in love, Leave it to the March Sisters has a slow-burn romance, great nods to Little Women, and a lot of small-town charm. Thanks to Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Amy hasn’t spoken to or seen Theo in years, not since her sister and Theo had a huge fight. Needless to say, this makes living in the same house pretty awkward at first. But the more time they spend together, the more they must face their unspoken feelings for each other and what happened years ago that changed the trajectory of all of their lives.
I enjoyed the growing romance between Amy and Theo. They have so much history, and they have a lot to work through. Miscommunication, secrets, lack of trust, and so much more stand in their way, and I just wanted them to be honest with each other because it was obvious they belonged together.
I also really liked the similarities and references to Little Women. It’s clear the author has a love of the story, and I liked the contemporary spin on the novel. The story also includes quotes and references to the literary classic and the movie remakes, which was great. It will definitely appeal to Little Women fans, but I don’t think you need to have read the book or seen the movies to pick up the references in this book.
I have to say, I didn’t love Jo at all. I couldn’t understand some of the things she did, how she encouraged some secret-keeping, and how secretive she was about her own life. Also, the pacing was a bit choppy at times and pulled me out of the story, especially toward the end of the book. I thought the first half was stronger and pretty evenly paced, but the second half lulled in some parts and was abrupt in others.
A story of forgiveness, family, and falling in love, Leave it to the March Sisters has a slow-burn romance, great nods to Little Women, and a lot of small-town charm. Thanks to Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
May 29, 2023
Little Women is my favorite classic and I’m always excited to read a modern day retelling!
The title of the book led me to believe this would be another modern day retelling, but it wasn’t. The characters have the names (sisters Amy and Jo, best friend Theo) and similar hobbies but it’s not a retelling as much as an “inspired by”.
*Amy was raised by a mother who loved Little Women, so much so that she named her two daughters after the characters. Incidentally, their next door neighbor was a rich boy named Theo! Amy is an English professor and aspiring artist who has harbored a crush on Theo since her teen years. Now in their 30s, they unknowingly become roommates after a falling out left them estranged years before.*
I was really excited for this book; the story started out strong and I really enjoyed Amy’s character! Unfortunately, by the end, I had to force myself to finish reading and it just fell flat for me.
First, this was supposed to be a second-chance, forced proximity romance. However, there was absolutely no chemistry between Amy and Theo. Even in the middle of a sex scene, I still felt absolutely nothing between them. They were supposed to have been secretly in love with each other since they were teenagers but the sexual tension just wasn’t there.
This story contained so many conflicts. One after the other, with some that were pretty heavy. But each one was resolved quickly, with little dialogue between characters. Pretty much an “oops, sorry”, maybe a few shed tears, and then everyone would hug and make up. Many things were unrealistic about this book, but this one really got to me the most.
This may just be personal preference, but I hated how much time would pass between chapters. Things jumped around so much, and sometimes the gals were so large you were left feeling like you actually missed something. There were a few times where I thought I had zoned out and not absorbed what I read, and this left much of story feeling very detached.
Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc!
The title of the book led me to believe this would be another modern day retelling, but it wasn’t. The characters have the names (sisters Amy and Jo, best friend Theo) and similar hobbies but it’s not a retelling as much as an “inspired by”.
*Amy was raised by a mother who loved Little Women, so much so that she named her two daughters after the characters. Incidentally, their next door neighbor was a rich boy named Theo! Amy is an English professor and aspiring artist who has harbored a crush on Theo since her teen years. Now in their 30s, they unknowingly become roommates after a falling out left them estranged years before.*
I was really excited for this book; the story started out strong and I really enjoyed Amy’s character! Unfortunately, by the end, I had to force myself to finish reading and it just fell flat for me.
First, this was supposed to be a second-chance, forced proximity romance. However, there was absolutely no chemistry between Amy and Theo. Even in the middle of a sex scene, I still felt absolutely nothing between them. They were supposed to have been secretly in love with each other since they were teenagers but the sexual tension just wasn’t there.
This story contained so many conflicts. One after the other, with some that were pretty heavy. But each one was resolved quickly, with little dialogue between characters. Pretty much an “oops, sorry”, maybe a few shed tears, and then everyone would hug and make up. Many things were unrealistic about this book, but this one really got to me the most.
This may just be personal preference, but I hated how much time would pass between chapters. Things jumped around so much, and sometimes the gals were so large you were left feeling like you actually missed something. There were a few times where I thought I had zoned out and not absorbed what I read, and this left much of story feeling very detached.
Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc!
September 17, 2023
****3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
I loved the humor and banter amongst the Marsden sisters, Jo and Amy and their friends Theo, Athena, Lando, Stella and others. The sisters had been lifelong friends with Theo, but Amy harbored a secret crush that was revived upon her having to move after yet another horrible relationship breakup. Jo and Theo had a secret falling-out, and Amy was determined to revive their friendship by enticing her sister to move from Seattle to work at the same college that she was an English professor. The book has references woven throughout about Little Women, as it was their mother's favorite book, hence their names, but also has references to King Arthur legends as this was the thesis for Amy's PhD, and also the topic of her coming book. I think the story would have felt more cohesive had her book focused on Little Women (as Amy's advisor suggested) instead of having competing themes. The story was repetitive at times, dragging on in sections, as the author discussed the reasons behind the state of their relationships, the state of their jobs (Theo is on probation. Amy is busy) which at times detracted from the story. The story is wonderfully descriptive, but one area that could have used more time and details was the actual romance between Amy and Theo-- the crushes were lively and vivid, but the actual kissing and intimacy scenes were lacking chemistry and abrupt and cringey rather than fireworks. I loved their quirky mother, Marmee, checking in from her various travels in an RV with her umpteenth husband (and YES those are REAL roadside attractions to visit! I looked them up!) but would have loved more interaction with the sisters and their mom as a whole rather than bits here and there. The ending was satisfying but would have loved to have seen more of Jo and her new life as much of the book had led up to that point. I enjoyed this book and now I'll have to go back and read the one that came before this one, Blame it On the Brontes (I didn't feel that I missed out not reading them in order. This did well as a stand alone).
I loved the humor and banter amongst the Marsden sisters, Jo and Amy and their friends Theo, Athena, Lando, Stella and others. The sisters had been lifelong friends with Theo, but Amy harbored a secret crush that was revived upon her having to move after yet another horrible relationship breakup. Jo and Theo had a secret falling-out, and Amy was determined to revive their friendship by enticing her sister to move from Seattle to work at the same college that she was an English professor. The book has references woven throughout about Little Women, as it was their mother's favorite book, hence their names, but also has references to King Arthur legends as this was the thesis for Amy's PhD, and also the topic of her coming book. I think the story would have felt more cohesive had her book focused on Little Women (as Amy's advisor suggested) instead of having competing themes. The story was repetitive at times, dragging on in sections, as the author discussed the reasons behind the state of their relationships, the state of their jobs (Theo is on probation. Amy is busy) which at times detracted from the story. The story is wonderfully descriptive, but one area that could have used more time and details was the actual romance between Amy and Theo-- the crushes were lively and vivid, but the actual kissing and intimacy scenes were lacking chemistry and abrupt and cringey rather than fireworks. I loved their quirky mother, Marmee, checking in from her various travels in an RV with her umpteenth husband (and YES those are REAL roadside attractions to visit! I looked them up!) but would have loved more interaction with the sisters and their mom as a whole rather than bits here and there. The ending was satisfying but would have loved to have seen more of Jo and her new life as much of the book had led up to that point. I enjoyed this book and now I'll have to go back and read the one that came before this one, Blame it On the Brontes (I didn't feel that I missed out not reading them in order. This did well as a stand alone).
May 28, 2023
Ooph I struggled with this one. As I mentioned in my review of The Late Mrs. Willoughby, it is really hard to tamper with beloved literary characters. Even harder I think when you try to place them in the present. It doesn’t always translate well, what kept people apart and/or down in the original might not be an issue in 2023 and trying to shoehorn it in doesn’t work.
I like that Sereno is giving the reader a much broader, more sympathetic view of Amy, much like Greta Gerwig did in her 2019 film Little Women. Amy is more like the rest of us than Jo, though I think we would all like to be more Jo than Amy, at least as portrayed by Alcott. And I think Sereno could have done that if she hadn’t tried so hard to create drama where there was none. She could have used the idea that this book’s Marmee really loved the original book and break out from there. But it just never seemed to work.
I liked this Amy and I would have really loved to have focused just on her and Theo. I love a set of secondary characters but there were just too many in this book and it was hard to keep up. It also distracted from the story of Theo and Amy. And the development of Theo as a character; I was never sure why Amy would fall for this guy, sweet as he was. I was kind of routing for her and Gary to get together and throw the whole thing on its head. The subplots with Jo and Marmee, then Athena and Thorne, and Lando and Stella, it just overwhelmed the story.
I received this as a NetGalley Arc and I am not sure if any changes were made along the way since I got this back in March. I hope they made some tweaks because there was a lot there to work with. I think if I were to recommend this book,I would do so with the caveat that this is less a full romance than it is more a novel of growth.
I like that Sereno is giving the reader a much broader, more sympathetic view of Amy, much like Greta Gerwig did in her 2019 film Little Women. Amy is more like the rest of us than Jo, though I think we would all like to be more Jo than Amy, at least as portrayed by Alcott. And I think Sereno could have done that if she hadn’t tried so hard to create drama where there was none. She could have used the idea that this book’s Marmee really loved the original book and break out from there. But it just never seemed to work.
I liked this Amy and I would have really loved to have focused just on her and Theo. I love a set of secondary characters but there were just too many in this book and it was hard to keep up. It also distracted from the story of Theo and Amy. And the development of Theo as a character; I was never sure why Amy would fall for this guy, sweet as he was. I was kind of routing for her and Gary to get together and throw the whole thing on its head. The subplots with Jo and Marmee, then Athena and Thorne, and Lando and Stella, it just overwhelmed the story.
I received this as a NetGalley Arc and I am not sure if any changes were made along the way since I got this back in March. I hope they made some tweaks because there was a lot there to work with. I think if I were to recommend this book,I would do so with the caveat that this is less a full romance than it is more a novel of growth.
May 30, 2023
After another failed relationship, Amy Marsden needs to quickly find a new place to live. She ends up renting a room from Theo Sinclair, her former neighbor. Although she’s had a crush on him since they were kids, Theo is strictly off-limits having once dated her sister Jo.
Leave It to the March Sisters is loosely based on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. This is not a scene-for-scene contemporary rewrite. It does share some general themes along with the character names. Readers do not need to have read Little Woman to understand Leave It to the March Sisters. It stands solidly on its own.
A few characters from the author’s book Blame It on the Brontes do appear throughout this book but it can be read as a stand-alone. (I do highly recommend Blame It on the Brontes as well!) I’m glad to see a bit more of Athena and Thorne’s story.
This book is a slow burn but it is an absolute necessity to the plot. Both Amy and Theo have complicated pasts that they need time to work out throughout the storyline. I appreciate that the author doesn’t just throw them together from the beginning. The gradual rekindling of their friendship that eventually leads to more is much more realistic. It’s also more true to the source material.
Having read the author’s previous novel did give me some insight as to what to expect for this book. This is not a spicy retelling! (There is some innuendo and sex talk along with one short descriptive scene.) This is a sweet, fun romance for any contemporary romance lover whether they enjoy “the classics” or not.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. I received a finished paperback copy of the book as part of a giveaway from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Annie Sereno, NetGalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing)!
Leave It to the March Sisters is loosely based on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. This is not a scene-for-scene contemporary rewrite. It does share some general themes along with the character names. Readers do not need to have read Little Woman to understand Leave It to the March Sisters. It stands solidly on its own.
A few characters from the author’s book Blame It on the Brontes do appear throughout this book but it can be read as a stand-alone. (I do highly recommend Blame It on the Brontes as well!) I’m glad to see a bit more of Athena and Thorne’s story.
This book is a slow burn but it is an absolute necessity to the plot. Both Amy and Theo have complicated pasts that they need time to work out throughout the storyline. I appreciate that the author doesn’t just throw them together from the beginning. The gradual rekindling of their friendship that eventually leads to more is much more realistic. It’s also more true to the source material.
Having read the author’s previous novel did give me some insight as to what to expect for this book. This is not a spicy retelling! (There is some innuendo and sex talk along with one short descriptive scene.) This is a sweet, fun romance for any contemporary romance lover whether they enjoy “the classics” or not.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. I received a finished paperback copy of the book as part of a giveaway from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Annie Sereno, NetGalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing)!
April 24, 2023
Leave It to the March sisters is Annie Sereno's second upcoming novel. It's a loose modern retelling of Little Women, perfect for those of us who grew up loving the book and movies. Which I will add the 1994 version is the best, no further comments needed, haha. Let me break this one down for you! Amy is a college English professor and department chair whose true passion is painting. Her older sister Jo is an accomplished writer living in Seattle. Their mother Meg, a huge Little Women fan, named her girls after Jo and Amy March. This story however centers around Amy. She's had quite the streak of dating very unusual men. In the beginning of our story she is dumped by the latest which leads her to renting a room in a house without ever meeting the housemate/landlord, Theo. Turns out Theo is her longtime childhood crush and former best friend of her sister. Similar to Little Women, Theo (or Laurie if that helps) spent much time with his neighbors The Marsden growing up. His parent's marriage was always on the rocks and The Marsden girls were his safe haven. But years ago a rift caused the trio to part. With this new living situation under way, Amy uses it as a chance to help reunite the gang. However, being in such close quarters with Theo again, Amy's crush comes back with a vengeance and leads her to wonder if Theo possibly has feelings for her or if her hunch that he always pined for Jo is true.
So you can see the similarities right? But added to the fun is a slew of eccentric side characters and a house full of rescue pets. After just reading an almost 500 page sci-fi this was the perfect light women's fiction/rom com that I needed. Pub Day is just around the corner on May 30th. Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
So you can see the similarities right? But added to the fun is a slew of eccentric side characters and a house full of rescue pets. After just reading an almost 500 page sci-fi this was the perfect light women's fiction/rom com that I needed. Pub Day is just around the corner on May 30th. Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
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